Roots Run Deep

Chapter 32

*Another shortie!*

Once they parted ways, both Jax and Katie went to their parents' homes. The former was greeted by tears and hugs while the latter focused in on her rage, she knew she'd need it.

"Hey," Tara approached Jax as he lingered by the pools of blood on the dining room floor.

"Hi," he frowned deeply as he gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "He's gonna be okay?"

"Jake?" Tara asked.

"Yeah."

"He'll be fine," she explained. "Physically at least. He's torn up emotionally."

Jax nodded. "Probably scared."

"No, it's guilt," she explained. "At least in my opinion."

That made him smile ever so slightly. "Your opinion has always been pretty spot on."

They stood together in silence, both staring at the blood as it slowly crusted over. Jax was trying to make sense of what happened, of how he felt, but everything was swirling too wildly inside him to pinpoint anything exact.

"Is Katie coming?" Tara suddenly asked.

"No," he said firmly. "She's got some of her own shit to handle."

"Well, if you need anything," she trailed off.

He didn't. Not yet. He wouldn't until the shock wore off and the reality settled in him, undoubtedly with a crushing weight.

"Where's my mom?"

"In the office with Tig," she explained.

"Thanks, Doc," he said sadly.

Jax left Tara's side and dragged his feet through the house until he got to the office. He could hear Gemma crying through the door and his heart broke. He knocked and only once she called for him to enter did he open the door.

"Ma," he said softly.

She was up from Clay's chair in a flash and sobbing into Jax's chest. "I'm sorry baby. I didn't know. I didn't know what he did to your father."

Jax tensed. "I want to know everything. What happened back then and what happened today."

—

"Dad!" Katie hollered as she stormed into the house.

His usual lackeys were in the kitchen, doing absolutely nothing as usual, when she burst in. "Where is he?"

"Your dad?"

"Who do you think?" She sneered.

The looked at her for a second before one pointed off to the patio. Katie raced out the sliding glass doors and, without a plan, confronted him.

"You had Clay Morrow kill Mom?" She said, shoving him toward the pool. The mug of coffee he held shattered against the tile as he stumbled forward.

"What did you say?" He turned, wearing an indignant expression and kicked the glass shards aside.

"You had that evil son of a bitch kill Mommy," she snapped. "Then he kidnaps me, threatens me, and you hire some assholes to almost kill me."

"That was an accident," he said, jabbing his finger in her face.

"Sure, just like Mom!" She hollered.

Jacob wound up and slapped her, open palm, across the face. The force split her lip, blood trickling down her chin with fat droplets landing on her chest.

"I didn't hurt your mother," he growled.

"I don't believe you," she came right back at him, pressing the back of her hand to her bloody lip. "And I'm gonna tell Jake you're not his father, it'll be a fucking relief for him I'm sure."

"Take her," Jacob suddenly said loudly to the others. "Keep her until she calms down and decide what to do with her."

"What?" She struggled as the men grabbed her, using large cable ties to secure her wrists behind her back. "Get the fuck off me!"

"Basement?"

Jacob shrugged. "I don't care. Just put her somewhere."

"What are you going to do?" Sean, Jacob's right hand man asked, as the other man took Katie away. He was unsettled, to say the least, but wouldn't say it.

"She will figure it out," he said.

"Think you could bring her into the fold?"

Jacob shook his head. "She's too tangled in with them now. Find me Clay Morrow."

"Uh, Warden," the second man returned. "You might want to talk to her. She just said Jake killed a Son."

"Shit," he hissed. "That little prick Jake killed Clay, Jax told them everything, that's gotta be how she knows all this shit. Get me Teller, then. I want this mess cleaned the fuck up before word gets out and people start snooping into this history."

—

Comment pretty please! I'd love to hear what your think and your guesses on the laundry list of secrets to come! Thanks for reading xoxo